COL Jay McGee USA

COL Jay G. McGee, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor of Science degree in mathematics. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Military Intelligence Branch in 2002.

COL McGee began his military career at Fort Stewart, Georgia, with the 3rd Infantry Division. He held various positions, including Division Intelligence Operations Officer, Platoon Leader, Assistant S2 and Collection Manager for the 1st Brigade Combat Team, and S2 for the 3-69 AR Battalion. During this time, he deployed three times to Operation Iraqi Freedom: during the initial invasion in 2003 with the 3rd Infantry Division; from January 2005 to January 2006 with the 1st Brigade Combat Team in Tikrit; and from January 2007 to April 2008 in and around Ramadi with the 3-69 AR.

Following his assignments in Georgia, COL McGee attended the Military Intelligence Captain’s Career Course. Upon graduation, he served as company commander and battalion operations officer with the 309th Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. He then spent 4 years with the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas, where he held roles such as Brigade S2 for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Division Analysis and Control Element Chief, and Deputy G2. During this period, he deployed to CENTCOM Forward–Jordan, serving as Chief of Analysis and directing efforts against ISIS in Syria.

COL McGee later served as Aide-de-Camp to the First Army Commander at Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois. He deployed to Afghanistan from August 2017 to July 2018 during Operation Enduring Freedom, serving as Director of the Afghanistan Remote Operations Cryptologic Center. Afterward, he was stationed in Korea for a year as the Intelligence Fusion Branch Chief for United States Forces Korea, overseeing analysis of North Korea’s military.

In subsequent assignments, COL McGee served as I Corps G2 Plans Officer at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington (2019–2020) and as Division G2, Senior Intelligence Officer, for the 7th Infantry Division (2020–2022). He then became an instructor for the Pre-Command Course at the School of Command Preparation in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and most recently, a seminar leader at the School of Advanced Military Studies.

COL McGee has earned master’s degrees in strategic intelligence from the National Intelligence University in Washington, D.C., and in advanced strategic leadership studies from the School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with one silver leaf cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Achievement Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Joint Meritorious Unit Commendation, and the Airborne Badge.